Colts Drop Season Opener to Houston

The Colts need to show more balance on offense. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Not a good start for the Colts.

They allowed 257 yards rushing to the Texans on Sunday. Most of it came from emerging RB Arian Foster (231 to be exact). I shudder to think what Chris Johnson will do to them.

The Colts also lost Bob Sanders on the first defensive series of the game Sunday. It’s feared that he will miss the entire season with a possible torn biceps. There’s no doubt about Sanders ability when he plays, but that’s exactly the problem. When he plays. Sanders has logged 47 games in his 7-year career and he’s played more than 10 games only twice in his career. Nothing definite yet, but the Colts at least have some experience behind Sanders with Melvin Bullitt.

There are a few positives. First, the Colts put up a lot of offense (#1 in passing yardage in the NFL). Unfortunately, I don’t think the key to Indy’s success on offense involves THAT much passing. The Colts talented duo of running backs had 11 touches. Donald Brown didn’t even carry the ball. He caught one pass for seven yards. Addai was effective on the ground in what little he got to showcase.

The defense was the real problem. We’ve seen these issues with Colts defenses before, only to have them miraculously turn around.

The Colts need a better effort next week in their home opener against the New York Giants if they want to win. They will surely see a heavy dose of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs.